Fantastic! Downtown Portland is starting to look something like this. Did I spy a side car on one of those two wheelers? I want one. Much more chic than those funky trailers for the kiddos, plus I could really keep my eye on them. Also of note, I did not see a single helmet. Of course, a helmet would put a kink in a perfect long wavy locks and bangs style, but still..........

Oh my goodness that is such a sight to see! Can you imagine living in a place like that? I've been wanting a bike for a while- um, I live next to a levee so I really have no excuse. There are bike people and non bike people and I want to be a bike person.

Being from Holland, this is a perfectly normal situation for me. We do - within reason - everything by bike; transport our kids, groceries and mainly ourselves to school, work, station or shops. Ofcourse our country is ideal for biking, flat and tiny!

Yep, that's what we Dutchies do, we bike! Everyday I take my 2 kids on my bike and get them to school or we do grocerieshopping with the bike and a huge crate to stash everything in!Oh shame on us everything without a helmet... :)

I love this so much. I've been reading lately how biking isn't just a mode of transportation, but more importantly a fresh, therapeutic way of living. I love that! I'm getting super inspired to ride my bike more. Now if they only designed a cool bike that would accommodate two kids!:)

Haha, funny post and funny comments! I'm from The Netherlands so it's funny to read that you think this is cool. This is just as normal to me as yellow cabs are to you. If it's possible we do everything on the bike and it's not dangerous at all. Because it's so normal everyone knows how to act in traffic. And nobody wears helmets. You may think that's dangerous, but I have never missed it in my whole Dutch-bike-riding life.

It amazes me every time when people find this funny/cool/unusual etc. I, as dutchie, am in such a bike-rush-hour twice a day! When i go to school en when i come back :) it's totally normal here. And only little children wear helmets here, the rest of us are bike-veterans ;)

Be sure to listen out for bicycle bells if you're walking in the streets because they have priority. It was something that I wasn't aware of when I visited Holland - trust me, you get used to it very quickly, or else you risk getting knocked over! What's also fascinating are the bike parks, like car parks, but for bikes; the sheer amount of bicycles that there are is impressive :)

Ah, the great helmet debate. Joanna, first of all, this video is so cool and inspiring! Now about the helmets, and about how the Dutch don't wear them... Treehugger.com has a really awesome discussion about this: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/04/bike-helmets-helmet-laws.phpBasically, they point out that the cycling circumstances and infrastructure in Holland are completely different than in, say, NYC. There, cars and pedestrians are used to bikes. Here in NYC, they're not (not yet, at least). But there's power in numbers, people! The more riders, the better...but in places where cars drastically outnumber bikes, helmets are still the way to go.

Yep, its just like there, everywhere. It all works so well with the traffic light system for bikes too. We have our own bike paths, so rarely have to fight the cars for space. Loads of bike parking. Easy and free (once you've bought your bike). Its one thing I really missed when I moved to the US for a few years.

Oh, the bicycles! I fell in love with them when we were in The Netherlands. It's definitely easier to get away without wearing a helmet there than in the US. Here, the bike lanes in most cities (if they even exist at all) are dangerous narrow strips that run right along cars moving at a much faster speed than the tinier streets in Europe. I loved how in Amsterdam the bike paths weren't paths at all... they were like full-blown car-sized lanes that were well-designated and separated from the cars in a lot of places. To be able to spend time biking along the gorgeous canals is a serious simple pleasure I wish we had here. One of my favorite trips of all time.

It's true! We even have more bikes than people...! I always go to my job by bike (when it's in the same city).It's just much easier and quicker taking a bike than going by car when you live in cities like Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

haha that is awesome. i remember when i visited amsterdam a few years back i was blown away by the number of bikers! you definitely have to watch out for them -- they don't seem to stop for pedestrians!

I'm so excited that you posted this. I just moved to the Netherlands (Utrecht - a totally underrated, charming town) from San Francisco and love love love my new commute along a tulip-lined canal! It's so peaceful because everyone is on bike. I was scared to give up my car but getting around is so easy here with the bike paths and public transportation, like trains. We Americans have so much to learn. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven't.

I'm a new Seattle bike commuter and I saw this and loved it! Also, I was flipping through my Martha Stewart magazine and saw you in it!! What a great spread and fun party! It was fun to open the magazine and say "I 'know' her!"

I love how the Dutch are so crazy about their bikes! I've seen some truly funny sights during my visits to Amsterdam, but the best one was a guy transporting a laundry machine on his bike! That was just amazing. :D

This was THE most intimidating thing about studying abroad in the Netherlands. Forget language or figuring out where to live--catching on to bicycle etiquette and not looking like a fumbling idiot at those packed stop lights was tough!

But once I caught on I LOVED it. Best moment: watching an elderly couple ride side by side with their arms around each other. How did they do it?!

Ha, for us Dutchies this is so normal, we all grew up on bikes. What you do by car, we'll do by bike. Can't imagine not to have one. Since everybody is so used to it, nobody wears helmets. Also do not forget that everything is totally flat, so no hills or mountains.

We've got 15 million residents and almost 20 million bikes here in the netherlands! Can't imagine not having one. Our country is so small and flat you can do everything by bike. And if your up to it, you can even cross the entire country by bike. Nobody is wearing a helmet, because we ride bikes from the age of 4. It's just part of our lives!

This reminds me of when I've been in Cambridge, England. Masses of bike riders. It's charming but a little intimidating to cross the street as a pedestrian! I love the one guy in the video who was riding his bike but then holding on to a second empty bike as he rode. And it looked so easy for him!

yes, as amy stated above, portland has a huge biking community but here helmets are a necessity. there are still more cars on the road and our bikers are very hard core, not just out for a stroll. i much prefer the way it looks more relaxed in the netherlands!

Wow - really cool. I live in Portland and while we do have a lot of people commuting by bicycle, it seems there is a better blending of respect for cars and bikes in this video. The car vs bike debate in Portland is a constant one!!!

Yup! That's how we do it in Holland, but really: helmets are for nerds (:-). We (generation 30 and up) grew up without helmets, so that’s why we think they are totally stupid.(Guess how we ALWAYS recognize tourists from a great distance, and it is not because of cameras:-))

I personaly totally prefer sunshine and in case of rain I think twice before hitting the pedals of my beloved Kronan!

I knew that they were all about bikes there, but this speeded up rush hour video looks scary! lol! I'd be afraid to ride my bike there! I'm too recreational of a rider, and they are SERIOUS! I love the style of their bikes, and how they all look stylish while riding though. It's not fitness for them, it's transportation! I bought my bike a couple of years ago, and it's called the Amsterdam. Looks like the bikes you see all over Holland!

My new commute is an hour and 15 mins...wish I could ride my one speed to work every day!! By the way, I've been reading your posts on google reader for too long and only just noticed the new banner with your engagement pic..I love it!!!

Yep, yep. Now that's what a good city looks like! We also have our fair share of cyclists but we do have a tad more hills and a load more snow in the winter so overall less people cycle. It's a shame though, I'm loving my morning comute these days!

That was wonderful, but did you notice no one is wearing helmets? I know it's no fun, and not very continental, but my very experienced cyclist husband would be brain damaged or dead if it weren't for his helmet. Just from an innocent tire blow-out. We have the giant crack in the back of the helmet to prove it. As it is, he broke his clavicle. Please wear helmets everyone!

Haha,I'm from the Netherlands and your comments are really funny,I can't imagine how a day would be without a bike, and how I have to go to school that way.We can drive a car when we are 18, and there are no schoolbusses.And absolutely NO ONE wears a helmet. Those things are stupid.

For lots of pictures of people on bikes in Amsterdam visit the blog www.amsterdamized.com (The picture of the girl is from that site by the way). There`s also a downside to commuting by bicycle through all kinds of weather. Here`s some security camera footage from last winter of an icy bicyclepath in the Dutch city Lelystad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqo4hwnJt6Y

Haha, It's so funny to hear you all talking about this. Now, you have to look at this station (Haarlem, next to Amsterdam), where everyone park their bikes in front of the station. This sight is a daily thing.

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Brilliant video. Lots of comments about helmets though. They don't need them because it is so safe. In any event, the protective powers of polystyrene helmets are very limited. More lives would be saved if motorists wore helmets than cyclists.